Preparation in traditional witchcraft, and for ritual Magick of any type, requires the Practitioner to have self-discipline and the techniques he/she has acquired from mental discipline. Concentration, focus, creative visualization and meditation are required to cast spell work. It is only through these disciplines that one can reach the Alpha State.

This is what it takes for the Practitioner to actually constantly practice Magick. There is no such thing as an “Arm Chair Witch”. You cannot say, “Hey I am a witch but I no longer practice because of...” That is a wrong answer.

You can always honor your beliefs. You may not have the ability to perform an elaborate or customized rituals with hundreds of people but you can honor the God and Goddess Whom you worship. You can always perform the simplest rituals and rites regardless of your schedule.

Preparation for rituals, rites and spells requires forethought. If necessary, write down what you need for the ritual and use it as a shopping list.

You know that you have to have the following: a bowl of water, a bowl of salt, altar candle, candles, incense, a chalice, athame, wand, matches and wine or mead depending upon the rite. Ok, so you should gather these all up and make sure that they are on the altar prior to anything else.

Now what type of spell are you doing? Look at the ritual. Do you require poppets, foo powder, thorns, nails? Do you need seven thorns from a red or white rose… or is it a black rose? Do you require oils and special incense? Does this spell require a scrying mirror or a regular mirror?

By having a list of what you need, you have everything you need before you do the ritual… and have them set up within the altar area ahead of time.

Now, many out there will state that they ‘cannot afford to buy things’ needed for spells or rites. Well, they can look up and find Dollar Stores in their area. Or they can make what they need.

You cannot say, “Well damn, I can’t afford the mandrake or the dragon’s blood, so I will skip that part and it will still work.

Wrong. It won’t… and especially so if you are working with herbal remedies.

You have to have everything ahead of time, and if that means that you don’t go out and buy that expensive clothing or new video game, then so is it. Remember that this is your belief and you have to prioritize. What is more important? That case of beer you thinking of picking up… or honoring your beliefs?

If you chose beer then you are in the wrong path.

I know this sounds petty, but unlike Christianity where everything is there in the so-called Bible, in witchcraft you have to work for what you want. You have to understand that throughout life there are some times when you have to self-sacrifice… and maybe even do without going to the movies or the bar.

When you are going to use oils, incense or other tools that you have created, you must remember that you have to first empower these. It is best to prepare tools ahead of time, doing all items that are going to be used for healing, et el, at the same time. By ensuring ahead of time that the tool is empowered and prepared, it prevents the rite from being ineffective.

All tools that are empowered should be kept safe; they can be kept in a lined box, be it wood or stone, in the altar area, and when not being used this is set outside the circle of power. If you previously were doing a binding spell, you do not want your tools used for healing to be affected by the charged energy. Thus in order to prevent this contamination, you should always keep the tools not being used outside the circle of power.

Along with tool preparation, you need to prepare yourself and that means that you have to do a ritual cleansing of the body. Along with this, you must abstain at least 24 hours prior to the rite from sex, consumption of alcohol and tobacco.

You need your mind body and spirit to be pure. You cannot go into the sanctuary drunk or high. You cannot hope for the spell to work if you cannot concentrate on the rites.

Here is the Purification Rite.

1. Prepare a ritual cleansing with salt water and sandalwood/sage incense.

2. While skyclad, take a small amount of water in you hand pouring it on your head. Re-dip your hand in the water and going from the top to the bottom, lightly run your hand from your face down your chest to your groin and legs. As you do this visualize all of the negativity is being removed from your body and you are being bathed in the warmth and light of the God and Goddess.

As you wash yourself with the water state the following:

Arra Agga Bandar Caspar Melichior BaltizarFrom the Waters Of Life, I cleanse this vessel.As The Waters Of Life wash over me, I shall be reborn.With the Purity of the Waters Of Life, I shall be purified.

3. Next step is take the incense brazier with the incenses of purification in your hand and allow the smoke to caress your body. As you inhale picture your anger and negativity being washed away.

Arra Agga Bandar Caspar Melichior BaltizarWith the Breathe Of Life, I cleanse this Spirit.It is through the smoke My Spirit is renewed.With the Purity of the Breathe of Life, one is purified.

4. Move into the Sanctuary.

5. Cast the Circle of Power.

With the preparation of your tools and your sanctuary you will find that you will have very little problems with casting spells.

Another aspect in regards to preparations is that you need to understand that while you are performing ANY rite, ritual or spell, that you CANNOT leave the Circle of Power for any reason. This means that you have to turn off your phone, turn off the TV, and any outside distractions should be removed. If you have children to whom you are not teaching the craft, they must be informed not to disturb you.

Remember that this is not only your time but it is your time to commune with your God and Goddess. Don’t let someone else try to force you to come to his or her aid while you are there. Like they say in the military, ‘If you’re not bleeding or dying, don’t bother me.’

You might want to have certain music playing softly in the background to enhance the mood. You can have people who play the drums do so. Remember that the rhythm should not be like the heavy bass or rap songs but soft much akin to Native American drumming.

If members in your coven -- or if you are a solitary -- cannot play the drum, flute or rattle, you can use various meditation CDs and mantras. Any CD player that is being used must be kept OUTSIDE the Circle of Power. The volume should be such as you can hear it softly in the background. It should not be overly loud. Figure that a little goes a long way.

Footnotes: The above is an excerpt from my upcoming book, Traditional Witchcraft. This book will be completed by Fall 2008.

This will be a comprehensive book dealing with the facts and falsies of what Traditional Witchcraft is and how to correctly perform rites, rituals and beliefs of Paganism from ancient times to current. Along with this I will offer advise on how to create and run a pagan sanctuary/church.

You can also purchase various meditation CDs and mantras through my email at Pagansanctuary@aol.com . My company has excellent music and meditation CDs at cost.

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